Our Hero Academia: Chapter 20
Cavalry Battle As the last student passed the finishing line and the sound of thundering applauds coming from the crowds were filling up the arena stage, the first part of the Sport's Festival had effectivly reached its close. While many didn't make it to the finishing line in time to secure their place in the second round, those that did now had what could best be described as the entire country's eyes watching them, be it civillians, villains or heroes, they had now earned the centre stage. "My my, good work everyone!" The voice came from one of the announcers sitting insde the booth oversseing the arena, after their numerous back and forths during the previous event, it was clear to anyone that had been listening that it was Mimir. "Quite a sight this year, if my eyes and roster doesn't decieve me then it appear that all of this years participants from the Hero Course has managed to make it to the next stage. Yet even among them, there are some new faces when comparing it to last year, bravo students!" Yet again, the cheers echoed throughout the arena in response. Yet as it calmed down, so too did a list appear on all the surrounding screens that would showcase this year's placements. "Let's take a quick look at this year's top contenders before we let Medusa Heroine: Gorgon, take over and announce the next stage." # Eikyo Jooryoku # Jack Daniels # Tali Shimamura # Shun Asakura # Kinzoku Kusari # Maheki Tokisaku # Ryuji Adachi # Aiko Kowareta # Dante Shimamura # Drahomir Musat # Saori Yamamoto # Nura Takigawa # Mickey Tutone # Isabella Flynn # Midori Crane # Jirou Tezuka # Joho Gijutsu # Akira Wareashi # Athena Lambros # Shizuka Naku # Akihiko Hagiwara # Ahmya Yanai # Igata Tegeyura # Horatia Janpu # Rei English # Ase Tegeyura # Kabuto Iyashi # Zenji Kaisei # Rana Ryuuka # Miranda Amastacia # Ava Rizal # Mimi Kusaragi # Izanagi Kiyoshi # Mitsuru Hattori # Griselle Hideaki # Guido Minami # Luna Mori # Amaya Ikeda # Jaco Kizuna # Kazumi Asakura # Bezten Having managed to pass the finish line by taking advantage of the other contenders using his quirk, even to the point of being the runner-up, Jack felt pretty good about himself. Although the way he did it wasn't perhaps the most honourable way of doing it and certainly wouldn't sit well with those he'd used the quirk on before-hand, the fact that he had reached this point using his quirk the way he did was good enough for him. As Jack hadn't even reached this part of the tournament in the years prior and always skipped this part of the event in favour of seeing the finals, the atmosphere was new and energetic in a way as he stood near the small podium that the Head Referee was standing on. Looking up to the scoring board, Jack couldn't help but let out a sharp whistle as he took note of his fellow classmates and competitors rankings, "Guess that Class President wasn't too shabby after all..." With a microphone in one hand, Hana brought herself to the middle of the stadium, and took her stand on a transportable podium that a couple of the event workers brought for her. Looking around, Hana's smile was particularly more excited this year, more so because a student of Class-2B was at the top of the leaderboard. Hiding her smile behind the head of the microphone, Hana's eyes glimmered with delight as she took a breathe in to introduce the next event. "Congratulations to everyone of you. You have made it to the next round. While a member of Class 2-B tops the chart, Class 2-A still holds more students in the top 10. But that doesn't mean anything in the Sports Festival, because really, all you students are only fighting for yourselves, the matter of which class you are in doesn't exist in the stadium." She said casually, holding a thumbs up in front of her body. "Allow me to introduce the Cavalry Battle! All passing students will form teams of up to four members, with at least one rider and one horse. We'll be giving you fifteen minutes to find the students you wish to work with, so make sure you choose wisely as it may decide whether you pass into the next round or not." Hana said cautiously, the screens of the stadium switching from shots of the students then back to Hana. "Oh. And of course, the deciding element of this event." She quickly brought up as she clicked her fingers. The screens around the arena quickly switched back to the leaderboard, processing numbers that appeared next to each of the students names. They all had a number that unique to their placing, with Eikyo's being the most prominent of them all. "This here students is how many points you have, which you will combine with your other teammates in order to produce a final value. The top four teams will be the ones to go onto the next round, so the higher amount each team member is worth, the more likely you'll be able to pass on." She continued as all points were finally shown on the screen for all the students to keep track of. Sports Festival Placement # Eikyo Jooryoku - 10,000,000 # Jack Daniels - 205 # Tali Shimamura - 200 # Shun Asakura - 195 # Kinzoku Kusari - 190 # Maheki Tokisaku - 185 # Ryuji Adachi - 180 # Aiko Kowareta - 175 # Dante Shimamura - 170 # Drahomir Musat - 165 # Saori Yamamoto - 160 # Nura Takigawa - 155 # Mickey Tutone - 150 # Isabella Flynn - 145 # Midori Crane - 140 # Jirou Tezuka - 135 # Joho Gijutsu - 130 # Akira Wareashi - 125 # Athena Lambros - 120 # Shizuka Naku - 115 # Akihiko Hagiwara - 110 # Ahmya Yanai - 105 # Igata Tegeyura - 100 # Horatia Janpu - 95 # Rei English - 90 # Ase Tegeyura - 85 # Kabuto Iyashi - 80 # Zenji Kaisei - 75 # Rana Ryuuka - 70 # Miranda Amastacia - 65 # Ava Rizal - 60 # Mimi Kusaragi - 55 # Izanagi Kiyoshi - 50 # Mitsuru Hattori - 45 # Griselle Hideaki - 40 # Guido Minami - 35 # Luna Mori - 30 # Amaya Ikeda - 25 # Jaco Kizuna - 20 # Kazumi Asakura - 15 # Bezten - 10 "However, please do keep in mind." Hana interrupted, "Having the most, or a lot of points doesn't make your place in this event any easier, because it only makes you more of a target. You'll have to be working extra hard in order to keep your points, because even the smallest amount of points in your team could ruin your chances for the finals. Now back into action, your points will be represented by headbands that you will carry in your team, either worn only by the rider or carried by the other members. The objective of the event, is to steal as many headbands as you can in order to raise your team's collective point score, whilst protecting the headbands you've collected." She explained, as footage appeared on the screens in the corner of the leaderboard. "Oh, and any acts done by teams that purposely cause opponents to fall is illegal, and so can be disqualified from the festival. However, even if your headbands have been taken and if you fall, you are still allowed to participate till the game is over. The battle portion of the event will be thirty minutes, so make sure you have a plan now in the fifteen minutes your getting." For the next fifteen minutes the various students squabbled and scurried to acquire a position in a winning team, and when some couldn't do that, they went off to find basically find any position in which they could fit in, and once teams were found, tactical discussions and positions were carefully pondered to claim victory for themselves. As the teams stood ready, the countdown beeped by the seconds and as it signaled the start of the competition, the teams sprung into action. Team Janpu, the team with the currently highest score, was quick on to their own strategy, namely, defend the headband at all costs. Athena reached down for the ground to raise up a fortress of earth and concrete around them, walling them within its confines, followed by Eikyoo shaping up a barrier of air around them, meant as an additional defense. And as the cherry on top, Tali utilized her light-based quirk to shape up a multitude of photonic strings and tied into a web over the gaping hole at the top of their box, essentially closing them off from the rest of the teams. "Time to start this shit show boys!" The rider of the Team Crane, Midori, called out as the competition started, taking the right side member, Jack, by surprise somewhat given her lack of excitement for most cases. Yet not wanting to waste any time and determination to claim the undisputed first place, the member on their left, Ryuji, began emitting a cold aura around him and the team as to prepare for an immediate response. They had begun to face towards their left side and start running, their movement making it clear that they were going to the far left side of the arena. At the head of the formation was Shun, who pressed his foot against the floor, etching a symbol across the surface with his quirk, stamping it with a line, before utilising his quirk to make the rest of the team feel considerably lighter while also making it easier to manoeuvre. While Jack didn't do anything in particular other than to follow suit, he was able to let go with his right hand now that the team had gotten lighter and was looking over and covering the side alongside Midori. "Time to get rolling." Spoke Rana, the rider of Team Ryuuka, as she used her quirk to transform into a Demi-Long, enhancing her physical capabilities to some insane measures, and ready to bring the pain. They began running forward, just to show that they were up and ready for the game. "Miranda, Ahmya, Aiko, you need to help me keep a constant watch on our surroundings. Miranda, I want you to be ready to change my projectiles into wide and large objects so they don't hurt our enemies too much, but only when I give the signal to do so." She spoke as she raised two fingers in a peace sign for the signal. "And be sure to keep an eye on Aiko as well. Aiko, your beams will be invaluable to keep unwanted people at bay. Ask Miranda for help in an instant if you feel for just the briefest of moments that you need it." "And what about me?" Ahmya spoke from the left, her voice carrying a tint of hurt for not having been addressed yet. "What am I to do?" Rana smiled softly. "You are our most important piece. You are the shield of this team. Any attack that would come a bit too close for us others to deal with, I hope that you can step up where we will fail. You are our last bulwark to defend our precious points." Rana said, and while Ahmya appreciated the bolstering words and making the objective sound so impressive, it wasn't quite as flashy as shooting or enhancing energy beams. "Fine, just make sure that these two dunderheads do not weigh us down." Ahmya half-spat. The other two girls were about to retort when Rana cut before them. "Not the best time for this, but sure, I'll be keeping an eye out for all of us." As the other teams began to run about, several of them headed for the 10,000,000 point headband, Team Kaisei did a different approach. They stood still amongst the commotion, watching the other teams and waiting. "Kinzoku, get me some stones." The right leg of their horse hit the ground with his chains, several small pieces of earth being torn up and given to Zenji. The rider applied some pressure to them, shaping them into more circular stones with his incredible strength. "Alright, you guys all know the plan, let's move onto our first target." Griselle was being held above her teammates Akira, Joho and Isabella. Maybe not the most powerful team out there, but definitely structured to put up a fight. Griselle's quirk was already active, having scanned the teams already to find the easiest option to take down. On Griselle's count, the team made their move over to Team Iyashi, Joho landed rhythmic punches on Isabella. The girl was unfazed by the punches, and was grateful to Joho for providing them. Now in range to take on Team Iyashi, Isabella shot forward a small kinetic blast that would temporarily disrupt the enemy teams movements, providing Griselle with enough time to recover their headbands suggesting Isabella's attack landed. Team Iyashi, the only two-man team in the event with Kabuto as the rider and Kazumi as the horse, were just about able to evade the brunt of the incoming attack but as expected, it disrupted their movements and left them vulnerable to the charging Team Hideaki. "Oh." Kabuto let out, realising the predicament him and his teammate were in. "We should run away." He advised as the opposing team neared, though six legs were faster than two, somewhat invalidating the option to run. Kazumi deftly targeted her Quirk onto Griselle before relaying her future movements to Kabuto. It was only a matter of seconds until the teams were in reaching distance of each other, though Griselle's movements followed Kazumi's foresight to the letter, allowing Kabuto to evade her grasp while reaching for her headband with his longer limbs. Even if Kabuto didn't claim their headband, Kazumi used the unforeseen situation to escape in the direction Hideaki's team came from, as a larger team would take longer to turn around. Griselle's quirk was taking effect on Kazumi. The information on her opponents quirk flooded her mind. And thanks to the training she'd done while awaiting the Sports Festival, she also knew Kazumi's quirk was taking effect on yours truly. Griselle was aware Kazumi could now predict her movements. Griselle used her available arm, the one she hadn't used to reach for the headbands, and knocked Iyashi's arm off course. The rival team made a quick getaway as Team Hideaki moved to follow. The large open arena provided space to do a full turn without necessarily slowing down. Griselle whispered to her team, though they were in hearing range of Team Iyashi. They could make out "I'll reach-grab-swift getaway." Everything in between could barely be made out. Griselle made another attempt to reach for the headbands Kabuto had yet this one seemed sloppy, as if Griselle was too nervous to go in for the grab. Instead she seemed to focus more on guarding her haedbands using her other arm. Furthermore the team didn't slow down like last time, almost as if aiming to run past the target team. Taking another look at her team Bezten couldn't help but sign. With this team she would really need to try and get attention on her, at least she could think of a plan quite quickly. Biting on a bar of milk chocolate she pointed at the other girl, Amaya, she had been pit with. "I can't see well far, you gotta be my eyes forward," before she could reply she pointed at the rather chubby lad, Jaco. "Since you actually speak, you can be my eyes behind," before she reached to the boy had said nothing, Bezten wasn't even sure if he wanted to be on this team "Hope you can carry me," she said without anymore words, expecting them to get in order. She shook her head looking at her team for one last time. She really got the last pickings of everything didn't see. Rei took a deep breath in and out, focusing his mind and body onto the unfolding cavalry battle. "Aight, we're aiming for first. How we do it doesn't matter. We see a headband? I'm stealing it. We see danger? We're going straight to it. We see girls in- actually scrap that. Anyhow, we're going for the win and nothing less." Rei proclaimed to his teammates. "Target Number One!" He promptly shouted, pointing in the direction of Team Takigawa, and so his horse: Igata, Mimi and Mitsuru set off in that direction. "Mitsuru, I'm expecting big things from you." Rei grinned, activating his Quirk ready for battle. After brief observation of the other teams' movements, Zenji made his first order. "Let's get two at once". To the human eye, the team appeared to make a beeline towards both teams. The illusion Kinzoku's chains flew towards both targets, aiming to take both headbands, however, the real team had snuck over to Team English's side from behind them, right up next to Mitsuru Hattori. Quickly crushing one of his stones in his hand, Zenji threw the dust into Mitsuru's eyes, aiming to blind the member of Team English before he could prove an issue. As the group moved by rather quickly, the true Kinzoku's chains deftly went to remove the headbands of Team English and Team Takigawa, invisible just as its owner and the team was. There was little chatter within Team Tokisaku as they began lifting Maheki up on their shoulders. Most of their discreet plan had been discussed in the limited time preparation, although mainly Maheki and Akihiko were doing the talking, while the other two listened and Drahomír piqued in a small idea or two. Now as Maheki’s legs dangled over his best friend’s shoulders, a quiet rude comment escaped his mouth. "I'm pretty sure I'm the lighte— oh... That's snark. Dammit". The rider cussed, at the same time as he was removing the bandana from his forehead. His eyes took in the colourful item that rested in his hand, focusing. It was the initiation of their battle plan; to swallow their points into the safe pocket dimension. When the alarm to start went off, Team Tokisaku immediately went for Team Ryuuka, approaching them from behind. "Do it now Shizuka," said their rider. The blonde girl at the front of their horse opened her mouth, letting out a loud screech, the force of which would discombobulate and distract the members of the team, making it difficult to counterattack. On top of that, the higher frequency made it difficult for Ahmya's body to maintain a solid form, and the screech only got more powerful the closer they got. Moving back to the three-way confrontation between Team English, Kaisei and Takigawa, the front of the horse, Mimi, was still caught under Izanagi's illusion and had transformed her eyes into that of a dragonfly's, thus easing the task of monitoring both Team Takigawa's and Team Kaisei's movements. With her enhanced eyesight, it didn't take Mimi long to notice something was off. She squinted her eyes numerous times, but before long, Mimi figured that she was not the root of the problem. The visible light within the surrounding area had been bent drastically in comparison to the UV rays she could now perceive. "What's happening?" Mimi asked herself, yet before she could answer her own question, Mitsuru was struck, adding to her confusion. She alerted Rei and Igata, of which the former had seemingly noticed as well and doubled his normal adrenaline output. Mimi briefly surveyed the area with her panoramic vision for the attack's source, swiftly detecting a small yet moving area near Mitsuru where visible light, but not UV light, was being bent away from. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain, as soon as she opened her mouth to instruct Rei of the impending danger, his headband was forcefully yanked from his head, however, his intensified reflexes allowed him to clutch the headband before it went out of reach, engaging in a tug of war with an invisible object. "Kinzo, I know it's one of your chains you bastard!" He exclaimed with a wide grin, despite the desperate situation he found himself in. "Team, let's bring it in!" Team Tokisaku's rear approach did not go Rana unnoticed, nor was the sudden increase in volume from the front girl's mouth. The screech was distracting to be sure, but it quickly got worse as they approached them. Rana considered a counterattack, but upon noticing their lack of a headband, she realized the futility of such a countermeasure. Instead, she began to search for an alternative of escape. Her team was starting to get sluggish from the intense assault from the soundwaves, something Rana herself was beginning to feel as well. She looked to and fro the arena until her eyes fell unto an object of interest. "Don't question this! HOLD ON TIGHT!" Rana cried, and in quick succession, Team Ryuuka clung tightly to Rana, to which she proceeded to mechanize her arms to essentially become grappling hooks. SHe launched them towards the concrete wall which Team Janpu had created. Her hands hooked into the wall before starting to pull. Not enough force to break it down, she was instead pulled towards it at a rapid pace. The sound faded away in the distance, and they began to feel a fleeting sense of relief. That relief faded however when Rana noticed the wet trail behind them. "Ahmya! Are you alright?!" She cried out in worry. She merely strenuously nodded, most likely feeling the effects of having her water escape. Rana's resolve hardened as she let go of the wall, sliding over to it, but halting well before crashing into it. The team got their senses in order before preparing for what to do next. Rana didn't trust this wall to stay as such. "Take us to the side for now. Let's play this carefully." She spoke as the team ran away from the fortress, waiting for an opportunity. Zenji grimaced as he saw Rei manage to snag onto his headband. Neither side could pull too hard, for fear of ripping the headband to pieces, however both had the strength to keep it in their grasp. He knew engaging in a long-range tug of war battle would not be good, and Jirou's Quirk would likely cause just as much recoil to them as it would knock Team English off course. "Kinzo, wrap him up," said Zenji. His classmate smiled as Kinzoku's chain elongated to wrap around Rei's wrist, adding extra pressure to force him into letting go of his points. "Sorry about this mate!" he called. To seal the deal, Zenji threw one of his rocks towards his forehead, using enough force to disorient him, but not cause any permanent damage. He added in a little extra power for his throw, knowing that his increased adrenaline would likely give him an equal increase in pain tolerance. The second that Rei's grip loosened, Kinzoku would pull in the headband and hand it to Zenji. A surge of pain shot through Rei's body because of Kinzoku's chain and before he even had time to react, his head suddenly jerked backwards as a blunt item collided his forehead. He withstood most of the pain but his grip still managed to falter slightly and without a moment's notice, Kinzoku's chain ended up reeling Team English towardsthe direction of Team Kaisei. "Didn't see that coming, literally.." Thought Rei, as a small scowl appeared on his face, though it disappeared as it quickly as it came. This was it, the finale to the exchange between the teams. Tightening his grip on the headband, Rei further increased his production rate of adrenaline up to three times the speed of what would be the norm, his current limit. "Igata, harden the headband!" He commanded so that he didn't need to worry about damaging the headband. Team English were still at a disadvantage, only Mimi could see Team Kaisei, and even then it wasn't a full picture, just guesses based on how light was bouncing off them. Kinzoku's chain was their only other guide. "We're moving forward, that's gonna nullify the strength of Kinzo's chain cause to the slack that will be made, unless he pulls the chain back in. How we're going to take a headband we can't see? Who the fuck knows." Rei stated, chuckling at the last comment. "Mimi, create two balls for me to throw and hold onto them. Silk, web, anything's good, Igata will harden it." Within a few seconds, Rei now had his own ammunition he could deploy at any given notice, holding onto the makeshift rocks with his empty right hand. Mimi, without her team's knowledge, had also taken on some of the traits of an assassin bug, namely, their ability to spit out venom, planning to spam venomous attacks in an attempt to break the illusion by harming or at least, distracting the Quirk's user. He gave a go-ahead signal to his team, and they begun to charge at the invisible Team Kaisei. Kabuto spotted Team Hideaki quickly gaining on them and had somewhat managed to catch the gist of their plan. As much as Kabuto hated hurting people, he had his own motivations for progressing onto the next round of the festival. Without hesitation, he dislocated his index and middle finger on his right hand as it was the hand furthest away from Team Hideaki, causing him mild discomfort. When Griselle's arm came into touching distance, rather than aim for her headband initially, he swatted her arm away with his left, passing his pain onto her. Hopefully this weakened her guard and caution for her headband, as he swiftly reached for her headband with his left hand, before her team accelerated away. Griselle tried to hold in the pain Kabuto had transferred to her, she gave a grunt in pain, but she came too far to go out like that. The pain stimulated a reflex in Griselle's nervous system, grabbing Kabuto's left arm as he'd put it into range. Team Hideaki's movements hadn't ceased and their cooperation and numbers gave them greater speed over the other team. Griselle kept her grip on Kabuto as Team Hideaki shot pass Team Iyashi. Griselle released Kabuto's arm once ahead of him, the momentum causing Kabuto's backside to turn to Joho whom reached up to snag Kabuto's headband as Team Hideaki's movements continued. All going according to plan, Kabuto's focus on Griselle left him open to any other attacks. Knowing Kazumi's quirk was taking effect on herself, Griselle had to tell someone else to go in for the scoop. Thankfully Joho was happy to oblige. Team Hideaki's continued movement and the disruption Griselle had just caused to Kabuto gave the team the perfect opportunity to snag the headband and get away before Team Iyashi could even react. Zenji gritted his teeth as Rei still held on strong to his headband. "Jirou," Zenji said, "send a little burst their way." Jirou wound up his arm, punching forward to send a large blast of kinetic energy towards Team English. Since intentionally knocking over your opponent was against the rules, this one was only powerful enough to cause them to stagger. "Kinzo, seal their movements." Chains, still invisible due to Izanagi's Quirk, went around his Team English's legs, keeping the team from moving any further away. "Now that they can't move..." Zenji jumped from his horse, landing on Rei's, stepping directly on Mimi's head. Still invisible to his opponents, Zenji aimed a powerful punch to Rei's left cheek, using enough force to override his adrenaline-based pain resistance, possibly even enough to knock him out. As soon as his grip loosened, Kinzo would finally real in the headband, and Zenji would jump off, using his own great strength to make it back to his horse with a powerful leap, and destabilize Team English's horse, making it difficult for them to try to retrieve their headband. “There they go.” Drago muttered below. Maheki breathed slowly, having calculated this form of escape. “You ready?” he threw the question over his shoulder. All he would hear was a scoff before his body began to illuminate. In fact, the entire chariot lit up, and the team would feel themselves lighten in weight. “Just hold on to your wigs.” Aki grinned. Suddenly, enveloped in a bright flash, Team Tokisaku had vanished. In the very next moment, the entire calvary was upon Tea Ryuuka’s rear. Maheki sprung into action widening his stance as his eyes locked onto Ryuuka’s headband--the one worth 395 points--and his quirk activated. “Now!” Maheki reminded them. Shizuka, who was still slightly in shock from how quickly they’d arrived, found swift solace in Maheki’s orders. She sucked in a deep breath before letting out a ear-shattering screech. The sound would pierce everyone’s eardrums and Ahmya, still suffering from the previous attack, would be rendered almost immobile from the proximity of the shriek. Drago, who was more so prepared than the others, swiftly rushed to defense, throwing out his blood as it solidified into a prominent tower shield, capable of tanking through any counterattacks given. As this all happened Maheki’s quirk opened up two pocket dimensions. The rips in space/time would warp Rana’s flag from her neck and straight into Maheki’s hand. With a wry grin, Maheki signalled with his free hand, a circular motion that the group could all look to for understanding. They were preparing to flee. The Bright flash of light did not go Rana Unnoticed, nor the rest of her team, as Rana turned her head to see team Tokisaku behind them. A while ago they had already agreed to their next plan of attack. There was no more point in keeping to the defense when they've lost the fourth place. "You know what to expect! Keep heading for-" Rana was then abruptly kept quiet as the powerful screech happened. Hoping that they got the message, she made the air solidify beneath her foot, trying to keep her focus despite the assault on her eardrums. With a mighty press from her mechanized leg, she threw herself into the air, and out of range from the brunt of the screech. She was now out of sight and out of reach for them, unknowingly keeping her headband safe from the transportation. Not waiting for as much as a second, Rana began to spurt across the air and towards team Rizal. She dove down from the heavens and reached for their headband which sat upon Ava's head. The only problem was the colossal hydra, but hopefully, they would not have the time nor knowledge to hinder her. Maybe out of reach, but definitely not out of sight. Maheki’s hair blew with the sudden gust and he held onto the flags, glaring at the retreating team. His eyes steadied as he and his teammates illuminated once more. “We’re taking a detour!” He yelled. Shizuka bit her tongue as to not squeak in surprise. Their plan didn’t work but it sure gave him an idea. Maheki could feel the potential nosebleed coming, but he didn’t care. He wanted them to know the strength of his teammates. He wanted them to feel the desire to win as it blazed right in front of them. Maheki raised his hand and his quirk opened up another pocket dimension. Drago more or less picked up on the idea, grinning silently. ‘Fuck it.’ Aki laughed like a madman. “You’re an interesting one, Moon boy!” Shizuka’s worry grew into silent determination, solidified by something of a confident smile. The entire horse lit up an iridescent gold, blasting through the pocket dimension Maheki had opened up. As Team Ryuuka dove down, a swirling vortex opened up right below and out came the zerg rushing quad. Maheki grabbed his flag securely with a wry smile. In the seconds it took for them to reappear, Drago had formed something of a spearhead for the group, aimed to slam into them with the full weight of fear. Maheki predicted a fast-moving spearhead aimed at the core of their group would send them into an instinctual dodge, or block. As the battle was soon coming to a close, the two teams would meet midair and Aki, mid-rush would activate two Lumi Shots, spanning the escape routes for Team Ryuuka, while Shizuka let out one last mighty screech, capable of deafening even the dullest of eardrums. This time Maheki didn’t hold back, staring the head of the team in the eyes, he activated his quirk once more, shoving his hand through in the midst of the surprise attack. Simultaneously, his hand would reach out from the next dimension opened, reaching for and yanking at the flag around Rana’s forehead. If she moved he'd widen the pocket and reach until he made contact. Suddenly the team disengaged, being in mid-air, they didn't have to worry about being disqualified. This was their last ditch effort. Even if they didn’t grab it, they had just shown the world who they were and how far they’d go for their ideals. Rana managed to snatch the headband off of Rizal's team, feeling pride as she did. She tied the headband around her neck, but at that moment, she noticed the team coming from below, the portal opening up to spew the opposing team out from it, to which she quickly responded by covering her body with her wide and long tail, protecting her to a large part from the screech, even if it still caused great ache in her ears. She noticed the hand reaching for her from the side, not wanting to take any sort of risk from this, she reached her hand up and smacked the wrist of the man away, more than threatening to break his wrist in doing so before jumping upward and away. After a few jumps and skips, she landed again on the back of her teammates. "We are in the lead now, guys." Ryuuka cheered, which garnered a "woo" from her teammates. With a shadow forming straight atop of them, quick easily noticing the large green dragon flying overhead after fleeing from Team Maheki, Saori began to snarl condescendingly at the situation, jabbing her fingers into Dante's back before letting out a static bolt of electricity into his serpent-like frame. Drastically discharging energy from her Quirk, she electrocuted her peers alongside herself, supercharging them momentarily by elevating their performance beyond their normal abilities. Upon closer glance, Dante grew two additional heads from across the base of his slender serpentine neck, all the while slithering and grinding across the hard stone floor at an astonishing pace, stretching across side them as they began to curl around counter clockwise in opposite directions to one another, creating a shell for them to hide behind. In the same instances, electricity was emanating from the surface of his scales, causing an electrical field to emanate away from it. A blaring horn screamed into the atmosphere as the crowd of spectators began crying out. "TIME!" Hana exclaimed into her microphone, signifying the end of the event. "That wraps up the Cavalry Battle, ladies and gentlemen. The top four teams will carry on into the next and final event for this year's Sports Festival. Team Hideaki with 630 points, Team Crane with 720 points, Team Kaisei with 1010 points, and Team Janpu with an astounding 10,000,415 points!" Hana continued as she summarised the results of the Calvary Battle. "The rest of you teams, well done! Just a reminder for you second year students that this may not be the end as there is always next year to be looking forward to." Giving a smile to the crowd and then to the cameras that were recording the events, Hana couldn't help but feel her gaze slowly drift to the announcers. "No word at all hm? Guess I'll be having a chat with those two once today is over and done with." As soon as the time ran out, Miranda sunk into the ground. She cracked her knuckles in frustration just in sheer nervousness. Miranda had never felt this gut pounding feeling of lost. She had never cared about these challenges before. It was something that got into the way of her vital class time. Now Miranda looked ready to cry. What was she to do after you lost a battle? Standing up tall she gave a small smile to Team Rizal and Team Maheki. "Good job," she puffed while her eyes never meant contract with them. They were busy looking around. Miranda gave a pat on the back to Rana and Aiko, ignoring Ahmya before walking off. She saw what she feared; the disapproving face of her trainer. Miranda rubbed her wrists.